District elections

The City of Menlo Park is changing the way City Council members are elected, from at large elections to "by district" elections. Here are some important things to know about this change.

The change to by-district elections is happening

Once notified of a legal challenge (received the letter in August 2017), the City Council adopted a Resolution of Intention to make the change to "by district" City Council elections voluntarily. The alternative would have been to fight the challenge. So far, no one has won this kind of challenge, and many have paid legal fees in the millions.

You can be involved

While the work of the Advisory Districting Committee is now complete, there is still opportunity for public input at upcoming City Council public hearings.

Review the work of the Advisory Districting Committee

The Advisory Districting Committee completed its work and within the tight schedule required to determine its final recommendations on draft district boundaries maps and election sequencing. Next, these recommendations will be discussed at a City Council public hearing tentatively scheduled for March 21, 2018.

District boundaries are based on community

Districting takes into account population, requirements of the Federal and California Voting Rights Acts, and shall not be drawn with race as the predominate factor. A professional demographer reviewed and calculated demographic information for all draft maps. Nearly 40 draft maps were submitted by the public and reviewed by the Committee based on the legal criteria in the federal and state voting rights acts. They are published on the city website for public review.